


Heartbeat

by etymolodrarry



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Battle of Hogwarts, Blood, Blood and Gore, Drarry, M/M, One Shot, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Pre-Battle of Hogwarts, Rubatosis, Short One Shot, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, also some swearing, basically it takes longer for harry to wake up after he dies, but only kinda, but what did you expect?, like as if his little chat with dumbledore happened in real time, minimal angst, so lowkey he still is kinda dead when narcissa says he is, trigger warning: blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24632779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etymolodrarry/pseuds/etymolodrarry
Summary: Draco stared at Harry's lifeless body, finally mustering up the courage to admit his feelings-except there was one small detail he'd missed: Harry Potter was not dead.TW: BLOOD
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 173





	Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> Italics indicate excerpts from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. (Which I did not write, obviously.)

**Rubatosis**

_n._ the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat, whose tenuous muscular throbbing feels less like a metronome than a nervous ditty your heart is tapping to itself, the kind that people compulsively hum or sing while walking in complete darkness, as if to casually remind the outside world, _I'm here, I'm here, I'm here._

_From dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com by John Koenig_

* * *

_"The boy... is he dead?" There was complete silence in the clearing. "You," said Voldemort, and there was a bang and a small shriek of pain. "Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead."_

Harry lied motionless in the grass as Narcissa approached Harry slowly, kneeling at his side and pressing her fingers against his throat.

No pulse.

Her hands crept beneath his shirt, feeling for a heartbeat. For a moment, there was nothing, and then— a slow, weak rhythm within his chest.

 _"He is dead!"_ _Narcissa Malfoy announced to the watchers._

 _And now they shouted, now they yelled in triumph and stamped their feet,_ shooting bursts of red and silver light into the air.

_"Pick up your little friend, Hagrid," Voldemort said._

Hagrid's arms trembled with the force of his sobs, tears splashing onto Harry's face. He stumbled forward, out of the forest as Harry's head lolled to the side.

Voldemort was announcing Harry's death, now, in the destroyed courtyard where the survivors were gathered.

_"NO!"_

_"No!"_

_"Harry! HARRY!"_

Ron's, Hermione's and Ginny's acted as a trigger as the rest of the survivors began screaming and yelling at the Death Eaters.

Hagrid shuffled to the edge of the courtyard as Voldemort silenced the crowd, bringing Harry into the castle to keep him out of sight.

Draco swallowed, his eyes on Hagrid as he carried Harry's body away. Now was his chance; once Voldemort took over the castle, he'd never have another opportunity. He slipped into the shadows, casting a wordless _Notice—Me-Not_ for good measure. He ran through the hallways until he'd reached the one Hagrid had headed down.

Hagrid was wrapping Harry in his cloak by the time Draco arrived. "Goodbye, Harry," his voice wavered as he placed the body in an alcove. Draco watched from around the corner as Hagrid bowed his head and left.

Draco's footsteps fell silently as he approached and knelt at his side, tucking his feet under him. "Potter—" his voice cracked, and he let loose a breathy laugh. "I'm talking to a corpse." He sighed. " _Harry._ It wasn't supposed to end like this, you know. _It wasn't supposed to end like this,"_ his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Since day one, you've always won in the most _obnoxious, infuriating_ ways. You were supposed to go out there and win again, but now you're—" his voice broke, "dead." 

* * *

_Harry stood up, and Dumbledore did the same. "Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"_

_Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"_

Harry was lying on his back, wrapped in a cloak that seemed much too large to be his own. The fabric covered his eyes, it's musty scent filling his nostrils and smelling suspiciously of Hagrid. He _definitely_ wasn't in the forest anymore, but he didn't dare move. His muscles ached from the Killing Curse, and he strained his ears to get a sense of his surroundings. Someone was kneeling on his right, their breathing barely audible. Harry's heart raced, beating so hard he could feel each beat in his throat, in his chest, in his muscles as they pressed against the cold ground.

"Harry, I—" A voice croaked, and Harry recognized it immediately, his blood going cold. Draco Malfoy.

They seemed to be alone, and Harry had to resist the urge to shift his body to look at him.

Draco took a shaky breath, unaware that Harry was conscious. "There's something I never had the chance to tell you. Well, I _had_ the chance, but I never had the guts to do it. I'm not like you. I don't have your—your _insufferable_ Gryffindor courage," his voice sounded bitter. "In sixth year, you found me in Myrtle's bathroom. I was crying, sobbing really, in a rather unattractive manner. We attempted to duel, you nearly killed me, the details aren't important." He looked at the floor, fidgeting with his cloak. "I—I was crying because—because I'd just realized that I'm in love with you. _Was,_ I guess, since you're dead—" he choked on the words and let loose a shuddering sob, burying his face in his hands.

Harry's heart ached, and he couldn't take it anymore. He sat up, the cloak sliding onto the floor. Draco's shoulders shook as he tried to muffle his tears.

Tentatively, Harry placed a pale hand on Draco's shoulder, causing him to flinch. His head snapped up, eyes wide. "What—what the _fuck?"_ He scrambled away, staring at Harry in horror. "You—you _died—_ the Dark Lord _killed_ you—"

"Yes." Harry said simply. "But I'm alive."

He jumped to his feet. "How is—how is that _possible—_ you should be _dead—"_

"I'm not exactly sure—" Harry struggled to stand, his muscles burning. "Listen, Malfoy, about what you said—"

"No, no, just drop it, okay?" Draco backed away. "It doesn't matter."

The blood rushed from Harry's head, and he lurched forward to keep him from leaving. " _Draco,"_ Harry managed to grab his wrist, forcing him to face him. "Listen—" If he didn't get this out now—

Draco turned toward him, the glare on his face harshly contrasting his red, teary eyes, and Harry faltered under his gaze.

"Er, listen," he said again. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was struggling to concentrate. "I... I tried to ignore it," he said finally, looking at his hands. "I thought being on the run would make me forget about it, that it would go away. I thought—"

"Get to the point, Potter."

Harry heart was beating too hard again, as if someone was squeezing it in their fist, forcing it to pump harder and harder. "And then we were captured, and you—" He sighed. "That's what it took for me to—to admit it." He forced himself to look Draco in the eye. It was now or never. "Can I kiss you?"

Draco's breath caught in his throat. _"What?"_

"I want to kiss you," Harry whispered. He was beginning to regret this. "Never mind," he shook his head, "sorry, that was stupid—"

His breath caught in his throat when Draco kissed him.

It was a short, clumsy kiss, but Harry's chest was still left burning as he pulled away. The color started to come back to his face as he flushed.

"But—what about—" Harry could feel Draco's breath on his face. "What about Weasley—"

"Ginny?" Harry shook his head, "She knew before I did—that—"

"That _what?"_

"That I'm in love with you," Harry answered, more confidently this time. His fingers tightened around Draco's wrist, pulling him closer.

The air rushed out of Draco's lungs, his lips hovering over Harry's. "Oh," he breathed, and leaned in again.

Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's waist."Now what?"

"Now we fight," Harry answered. "Hey—" his eyes flicked to Draco's lips. "Are we—"

"Go kill the Dark Lord, then we'll talk," his eyes glittered.

"Voldemort," Harry corrected. "Well, Tom is better. It gets under his skin. Hey—can I ask a favor?"

Draco gave him a searching look. "Yes, anything."

"Can I borrow your wand?"

Draco blinked. "You realize you already _borrowed_ it?" He chuckled and pulled a wand from my pocket, handing it to him. "This is my _mother's_ wand, so you'd better not lose it."

"I won't." Harry promised. "Last thing—is Nagini dead?"

"Yeah—Longbottom killed him—why?" Draco asked as Harry sighed with relief. 

"It means he's mortal again," Harry grinned. "I'll explain later, alright? Will you wait for me in the Shrieking Shack?"

"What? No, I can _protect_ myself, Potter—"

"You won't have a _wand,_ Draco. You aren't safe from either side. _Please,"_ Harry added as he opened his mouth to protest.

"Fine," his shoulders slumped. "Good luck, then. You better not lose—"

"Can I kiss you again?"

Draco looked taken aback, as if he'd forgotten about Harry's admission just moments earlier, before regaining his composure. "No, you cannot," he said haughtily, turning his nose up. "Win this war, and I shall reconsider."

"Alright, fair enough," Harry grinned at him, giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. "See you soon," he let his shoulder bump into Draco's as he passed, leaving Draco alone in the hallway with a faint blush on his face.

* * *

"You made a mistake, Tom," Harry stood behind Voldemort, and a murmur went through the crowd as both sides realized who was speaking.

"Harry!"

"He's alive!"

" _Silence!"_ Voldemort hissed, and whipped around to glare at him. "Do you _really_ expect to defeat me, Potter?"

"Yes, I do." They were circling each other now, their wands raised. Narcissa's wand was a bit uncomfortable in his hand as his magic struggled to get used to it. "You're mortal, Tom. You split your soul so many times, you didn't even notice your Horcruxes being destroyed, one by one."

Surprise flitted across his snake-like face. Of course, he knew that _Nagini_ was gone, but he was clearly unaware that _all_ of the others were destroyed, too.

"That's right," Harry said. "That was your first mistake. Your second mistake was killing my parents. Your _third_ mistake was using my blood to resurrect yourself—shall I go on?"

"That doesn't matter!" Voldemort shrieked, "I have the Elder Wand, boy, it's _mine_ , Potter, so think again before—"

"You don't get it, do you?" Harry interrupted. "You aren't it's true master—Snape never _had_ its power. _Draco Malfoy_ is the one who overpowered Dumbledore, and _I_ overpowered _him._ You know what that means?"

Voldemort's hand was trembling, his face set in a firm line. The Elder Wand was pointed at Harry's face as he braced himself to cast the spell.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Expelliarmus!"_

_The bang was like a cannon blast, and Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell. He saw the Elder Wand fly high, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill. Harry, with the unerring skill of a Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding killing curse and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell._

There was one moment of silence; one moment where the world stood still. The remaining Death Eaters were quickly incapacitated as the survivors began to scream and cheer, no longer controlled by Voldemort's silencing charm.

Harry quickly pocketed the wands as his friends surrounded him, Ron and Hermione's arms wrapped tightly around him. Then there was Ginny, and Fred, and George, and his professors, and all of the survivors were hugging each other, crying and cheering.

Harry stumbled forward from the force of the crowd, nearly tripping over a Death Eater lying prone in the dirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the blood pooling from his left arm. The Dark Mark—it was gushing blood. Which meant that Malfoy— _fuck._

* * *

_**\---TW: BLOOD---** _

Malfoy was without a wand—and from the looks of it, he wouldn't last long without one. With the help of Ron and Hermione, he managed to get out of the crowd and to the Whomping Willow. Harry tumbled through the tunnel, his heart jumping into his throat at the sight of Draco, crouched on the floor at the entrance.

"Malfoy!"

Draco's cloak sleeve was pushed to his elbow, letting the blood drip freely onto the floorboards. The Dark Mark had become a mess of mangled flesh, and his palm was pressed firmly to the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. _"Do something!"_ Draco's fingers slipped, causing a spray of blood to hit the wall in rhythm with his racing heart.

" _Shit_ ," Harry's hand tried to apply pressure to his arm while fumbling for the Elder Wand with the other. An _episkey_ definitely wouldn't be enough to fix this.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Harry whispered, before casting a quick _leniens_ to ease the pain. Without warning, he followed up with a _cauteriase._

 _"Fuck,"_ Draco hissed in pain, trying to wrench his arm out of Harry's grasp, but Harry only held on tighter.

The spell slowly spread across his arm, fusing the skin back together, but it wasn't fast enough. Draco's head lolled to the side as he grew dizzy. " _Shit,"_ Harry's concentration faltered as he tried to get Draco to lay back on the floor. As soon as the spell was broken, the healed flesh began to split open.

Harry cradled his arm in his lap, removing Narcissa's wand from his pocket. _Maybe_ — _if I_ —

 _"Cauteriase! Pleno sanguinem!"_ Harry repeated the healing spell with the Elder Wand while simultaneously casting a blood replenishing charm.

" _Please,_ " he cried, his tears dripping into the newly healed flesh. Draco laid motionless across the floorboards, unconscious. _Fuck._ Harry repeated the blood replenishing charm with the Elder Wand and managed to conjure a pillow to prop up Draco's legs.

Finally, _finally_ Draco opened his eyes, jolting up when he saw the mangled flesh on his arm. "Is he—"

"Voldemort's dead," Harry confirmed, and Draco relaxed, slumping against Harry.

"Bloody _fuck,"_ he groaned, staring at the blood that covered both of him. After several Scouring charms, Draco managed to stand, though he was heavily supported by Harry.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to carry you?"

"Over my dead body," Draco spat, even as his arm tightened around Harry's shoulders.

"You're almost there, then," Harry scoffed.

It took an unusually long time to return to Hogwarts, since Harry was half-dragging Draco behind him. "Ron, Hermione?" Harry spotted his friends and Hermione ran over, only to stop when she realized _who_ Harry was with. "Er, I'd like you to meet—" Harry swallowed, "—to meet my boyfriend." He flushed at his own words.

"Is _this_ what you had to go do?" Hermione was smiling, though Ron looked like he was about to throw up.

"Well—yeah" Harry scratched the back of his neck., before turning to Draco. "Hey," he lowered his voice, " _now_ can I kiss you again?"

Draco rolled his eyes, but still obliged.

"Ugh," Harry pulled away, wrinkling his nose. "You taste like blood."

"Sounds like a _you_ problem," he answered, yanking on Harry's collar to reconnect their lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Spells used: 
> 
> Cauteriase: from Latin 'cauterizāre' (to burn flesh/to brand)
> 
> Pleno sanguinem: from Latin 'plenus' (full, complete) and 'sanguis' (blood)
> 
> Leniens: from Latin 'lenio' (I soften, soothe)


End file.
